Road Rage? Go to JAIL! Mumbai Police sets an example

[infotech58]

i would be very interested to know the final outcome of this issue and would closely follow this thread.
i have observed repeated honking and flashing almost everyday on WE and i let them pass through if their is a possibility; my major concern is, while driving i try to maintain a safe braking distance to the next car and most of the times these morons who i give way to, cut me and fill into my safe braking distance and this cycle repeats.

[sandeepmohan]

Bangalore needs this, and real fast. Forget driving or riding yourself; it is just annoying to be on Bangalore roads, even as a pedestrian. Flashing high beams from behind, in broad daylight is another irritant. Little things like this annoy you and raise your blood pressure to the point that it would be natural that anyone would get annoyed and will want to confront the person. All this won't be required if users of the road had a little more sense.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

1. Watching mirrors for potentially faster cars (Especially the German ones with those LED DRLs and angel eyes ) which won't want to stick around behind me.

3. Give way whenever possible. The guy behind might be in a genuine hurry (eg. reaching his father's wedding ).

In Kerala (especially on two laned intercity roads), you should add Private Limited Stop/Fast Passenger and Kerala SRTC buses to the list. They would be on your tail with lights flashing horns going berserk (at a distance of less than 3 feet) while you are trying to identify an opportunity to go past an 18 wheeler or so. Their only hurry is to get to the next bus stop, offload/take passengers and get back on your tail and do the same. D*mn annoying I must say and trust me, I will never ever let them pass the first time itself as they are going to do this repeatedly. The week after I got married, I remember taking my wifey and parents in law to a temple off the Highway to Thrissur from Palakkad and this mad raging KK Menon bus behind me who had to stay behind me for over 4 kms because of heavy traffic. His headlights were on all the time and he had to be honking full time. I did not have way to give (road was steep at the sides to the shoulder) and the folks in the car were scared. I kept a calm head and drove on till he stopped at one of the major stops.

[ashphil]

Hauling this species of low life directly to jail though effective is only a reactive remedy to the road rage problem. The real and long term answer is to ensure that licences are given only after the candidates are trained to drive in a disciplined manner, made to pass a proper driving test instead of driving a car twenty meters on a straight road with the Licensing Authority standing on the road and watching the applicant drive. Even more important is to have a punishment system that will enforce discipline such as points for each traffic offence and having the licence suspended for certain periods of time or even revoked.
It's high time all the states start implementing strategies which the Western countries follow as this problem is definitely gettting out of hand and needs to be addressed. Sadly, discipline is not a virtue for a majority of the Indian riders & drivers.
regards,
Ashok

[interest]

Hey guys, how many times do we see the driver of the car in front driving at a very slow pace on a single lane road because he is busy on his phone. Is honking not justified in this case? I have missed crashing into many a bikers when they stop suddenly bang in the middle of the road to recieve their phone calls. I have also seen so many times pedestrians walking in the middle of the road even though there is a nice clean footpath present. Dont they deserve to be honked at? Why is Jaywalking not a crime? on busy junctions you would always find that people who have to take a right, occupy 2 of the three lanes and create problems for traffic going straight and to the left. If the traffic light is a long one, this is bound to infuriate drivers behind such a vehicle.

[Suess]

Mumbai road rage: NRI has skull fracture after being hit with baseball bat

Saw this news on ndtv and made me exteremly sad and disappointed in what we have come to and what we are becoming.

There are some other links in related stories. The guy here in custody was VP of some company, so a well educated(I guess, if not got that in gift from father/grand father) person behaving like a cave man or worse like a monkey makes me sad. And on top of that he will go scott free very soon, I am sure and he will still be driving with that bat under his seat or may be will get some gun because everyone has bat now-a-days so it's not much of help.

I am kind of paranoid now a days with all these incident happening around. I try my best to give ways to those honking guys like i would give to some ambulance or police car on call. But still even that get my heart racing because you don't know there may be some goon in that all swanky car or some highly dissatisfied, uncontrollably angry with all what is around him executive with some weapon!

Just yesterday we were discussing and thinking about society and people in it(not only indian but all over the world) that we have so many schools, colleges, institutes to make managers, doctors, engineers and what not but why don't we have some institution which gives education and training to make you a good parents so you can raise your children to be a good perosn first and then anything else!

[mb_jg]

People need to seriously keep their attitude\ego\anger\frustrations at home while stepping out of their houses.
The problem is that someday you will be forced to behave like that while defending yourself!

[esteem_lover]

The sad part is more than 90% of road rage cases involves the educated folks. I think we have been taught that might has the way in all our lessons in life.

[raghu.t.k]

More than road rage between 2 drivers, this is about a good Samaritan who tried to intervene and stop the quarrel, as per the article. It also says that all bystanders kept quiet while the SX4 driver was being thrashed. So much about our care for fellow humans.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Suess

Just yesterday we were discussing and thinking about society and people in it(not only indian but all over the world) that we have so many schools, colleges, institutes to make managers, doctors, engineers and what not but why don't we have some institution which gives education and training to make you a good parents so you can raise your children to be a good perosn first and then anything else!

I couldn't possibly agree with you more!! Though i don't think there is any hope for a school or institution in this respect.

The only hope i see is childrens' education - particularly using TV programs and new interactive media. There is no changing the parents, you need to start fresh with the kids in most cases.

(Also, i found it rather ironic that a NRI got hit on the head with a baseball bat by two fighting Indians)

cya
R

[shajufx]

How many people really care for others when they themselves are in a hurry to overtake and reach their destination before everyone else on road ? Its an easily said statement than possible on road. It takes few seconds to lose one's temper either for a slow moving vehicle ahead or for someone honking from behind non-stop inspite of knowing he cant pass ahead even if you move to the open drainage on the side !!

I find this impatient attitude more from cabbies & rikshaws in Bangalore than the usual office going crowd. Do we ever expect to see a change in attitude ? I really doubt !

[ajman28]

Originally Posted by shajufx

How many people really care for others when they themselves are in a hurry to overtake and reach their destination before everyone else on road ?.....

Very true Shaju.

I feel the important question is how much time do you actually save with all the rash driving, couple of minutes??

Like pointed out earlier, control on road rage or infact any sort of rage should begin at a very early stage in ones life.

[mb_jg]

This will never change unless there are legal implications to erratic behavior. At the moment, most people choose to drive\ride how they please cause they know that the legal implications can be bypassed by a small bribe\contacts.
Charge a person 10,000rs & confiscate his license for 6 months, am pretty sure he will atleast try to behave the next time around. Ofcourse, he can choose to drive without a license too, but again, the overall system needs a tight overhaul.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by mb_jg

.....Charge a person 10,000rs & confiscate his license for 6 months, am pretty sure he will atleast try to behave the next time around.....

Thats the only method right now and its followed in the middle east countries to an extent. A violation can cost almost half the monthly salary and people think twice before breaking a rule. Thats exactly what we need here to teach every moron a lesson !! I also feel rule breakers here have not much value for money.

[Suess]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I couldn't possibly agree with you more!! Though i don't think there is any hope for a school or institution in this respect.

The only hope i see is childrens' education - particularly using TV programs and new interactive media. There is no changing the parents, you need to start fresh with the kids in most cases.

(Also, i found it rather ironic that a NRI got hit on the head with a baseball bat by two fighting Indians)

cya
R

Ya, it is indeed ironic. When I came to India two yrs ago back after 11yrs in Germany, I would have done the same. But now I seriously doubt myself. Have i become impotent like others or just insensitive or may be coward. I think little bit of all! And i am really sad about it. When I think about my daughter growing up in this environment it breaks my heart. :-(

About having such school, we were thinking only about the "would be parents". So, to make you ready for one of the most challenging and important job you are going to take in this world!

Unfortunately we take that "job" just most casually; we take growing/bringing up a child granted. They grow by themselves! They do. But like a weed if we want them to grow like a flower, we need to make conscious efforts. For that we need badly a school which teaches only that. That will sure change the things for better at least if not for the best.

Originally Posted by shajufx

How many people really care for others when they themselves are in a hurry to overtake and reach their destination before everyone else on road ? Its an easily said statement than possible on road. It takes few seconds to lose one's temper either for a slow moving vehicle ahead or for someone honking from behind non-stop inspite of knowing he cant pass ahead even if you move to the open drainage on the side !!

I find this impatient attitude more from cabbies & rikshaws in Bangalore than the usual office going crowd. Do we ever expect to see a change in attitude ? I really doubt !

Nobody cares about nobody, it seems. But for one I would understand cabs and rickshaws, because they are earning their livelihood with that so, they need to make as much as they can out of it. Though that doesn't give them any right to be hooligans.

In fact, in Germany (at least) you have separate lanes for taxi/buses because there are more chances that these are running against time; to reach airports, hospitals etc. So, usually I give way to taxi/cabs as i do to Ambulances etc. But car owners behaving like a cab driver that is what makes me angry and sad on the sametime and it is more sad than angry almost all the time.